An ammunition magazine having an elongated housing that comes apart into two substantially symmetrical halves is known in the prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,183. This patent discloses an ammunition magazine wherein the halves of the magazine housing are held together by a pair of elongated clips which fit into dovetail grooves along the mating edges of the housing halves. The magazine includes clear plastic window inserts positioned between semicircular openings between the housing halves. One elongated clip contains circular openings that align with the windows to permit viewing of the contents of the magazine.
A housing such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,183 has the disadvantage that the clip must be slid down the entire length of the magazine in order to be removed, a procedure which may be awkward in an emergency situation such as a battlefield where the magazine housing may have to be quickly disassembled for repair. It is desirable therefore to have a clip that is quickly and easily removable and quickly and easily replaceable.
Further, it is desirable to have a elongated clip that is formed of a material such as plastic that is easily manufactured and can be easily molded to include window openings and other features such as part of a gun sight. Further, it is desirable to have an ammunition magazine that does not require numerous additional parts such as small plastic window inserts to allow viewing of the interior of the magazine.